The final vote over the March 23-25 weekend was the culmination of months of debate, argument and balloting. First we each watched a bunch of movies we hadn't seen in years or classics which slipped through the cracks. Then we made our own personal lists of the Top 100 films of all time. We took all those lists, combined them and came up with a master list of the 100+ films that got the most votes. Then we broke ties and narrowed it down to exactly 100 films. I for one had never seen 20 of them so that meant more movie watching. Finally, on the big night we took those 100 films ten by ten and re-ranked them after discussion and debate. So the Top 10 vote getters (movies like The Magnificent Ambersons, The Searchers and Vertigo) were all treated as a group and ranked from #1 to #10. Then we did the same with the next batch of ten and so on.

The result? A list none of us are truly happy with, naturally. I bemoan the lack of animated films and just one documentary that made the cut. Others are embarrassed by the omission of Bollywood. And so on. But it's a good list: watch all 100 films and you will have a good grounding in some classic cinema. It happened for me. I somehow had never caught director Max Ophuls. Now The Earrings Of Madame De... is high on my personal list of the best movies of all time. Same with the ground-breaking, revelatory Jeanne Dielman. So debate and mock the list, but do watch the movies you've never seen before. Enjoy!

THE IRA TOP 100 MOVIES OF ALL TIME

1. The Rules Of The Game2. The Magnificent Ambersons3. Citizen Kane4. Vertigo5. The Searchers6. Letter From An Unknown Woman7. The Big Sleep8. Psycho9. The Man Who Shot LIberty Valance10. The Apartment

11. Shoah12. The Earrings Of Madame de...13. The Shop Around The Corner14. Tokyo Story15. Rear Window16. Notorious17. Touch Of Evil18. North By Northwest19. The Palm Beach Story20. The General (1926)

31. Rio Bravo32. Anatomy Of A Murder33. The Miracle Of Morgan's Creek34. Chimes At Midnight35. All About Eve36. The Decalogue37. The Awful Truth38. Some Like It Hot39. Danton40. Imitation Of Life

41. McCabe & Mrs. Miller42. Sherlock Jr.43. Once Upon A Time In The West44. 2001: A Space Odyssey45. Ordet46. A Man Escaped47. Man With A Movie Camera48. Written On The Wind49. The Philadelphia Story50. Kiss Me Deadly

51. Out Of The Past52. Force Of Evil53. Advise & Consent54. Home From The Hill55. Sweet Smell Of Success56. The Lady Eve57. Make Way For Tomorrow58. Breathless59. The Third Man60. Cluny Brown

61. Pickup On South Street62. Shanghai Express63. The Passion Of Joan Of Arc64. The Naked Spur65. White Heat66. The Crowd67. The Crime Of Monsieur Lange68. Night Of The Hunter69. The Band Wagon70. The Scarlet Empress

71. Red (1994)72. All That Heaven Allows73. Victor/Victoria74. Band Of Outsiders75. Day Of Wrath76. Rebel Without A Cause77. In A Lonely Place78. The Marriage Of Maria Braun79. It's A Wonderful Life80. The 400 Blows

81. Metropolis82. Diary Of A Country Priest83. Casablanca84. Lola Montes85. Raging Bull86. The Last Picture Show87. Shock Corridor88. Meet Me In St. Louis89. Fanny & Alexander90. A Star Is Born (1954)

91. Ali: Fear Eats The Soul92. The Leopard93. Play Time94. A Matter Of Life And Death95. How Green Was My Valley96. Mildred Pierce97. What Ever Happened To Baby Jane98. Travels With My Aunt99. Days Of Heaven100. In The Mood For Love

The IRA Film Awards are the most prestigious, mysterious and exclusive movie awards in the world. Long after the frenzy of "awards season" has passed, the members of the IRAs meet to soberly discuss, debate, argue, bicker, fight, and mock each other as they decide what truly are the best films, performances and technical achievements of the previous year. They also shine a light on some of the worst achievements in cinema.

The IRAs were founded in the 1970s with one very simple thought: we've got better taste than those other award shows; let's do our own. And thus the IRAs were born. Its ranks have contained future Oscar winners, acclaimed and best-selling authors of both fiction and nonfiction (especially movie history), power players in the studio system, influential members of the media, hardcore cineastes and the team behind Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards, the most acclaimed (really, the ONLY acclaimed) awards book in history and the template for all the ones that followed in its wake. Usually composed of 10-20 members, the IRAs spend their year watching and debating the movies that really matter, the ones they hope will last and then share their judgment with the rest of the world. The "kids" -- younger members who joined in the 90s and the noughts -- have brought a new-found appreciation for animation and genres like sci-fi. The veterans remain loyal to stalwarts like Alain Resnais and the late, lamented Blake Edwards.

This year's gathering was especially lavish and bittersweet. IRA member Joe generously hosted the event at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut over the March 23-25 weekend. Why was it so lavish? To accommodate a second day of voting. On Saturday, we determined the best films released commercially in 2011. But on Friday night, we established the final ranking of our top films of all time, the culmination of a process that involved a good six months of bickering and voting and watching and re-watching a bunch of classic films. Why was it so bittersweet? Because weeks before the event founding IRA member Damien Bona -- the co-author of Inside Oscar -- died after a short and unexpected illness. His scathing wit and love of movies was sorely missed.

Four films dominated every single award (including the new edition of Best Editing), so you'll find it easy to check out the taste of the IRAs this year. But after the winners, we'll show the entire winning ballots so you can see the range of films that were favored by at least some factions. You'll discover 22 movies well worth your time, for one reason or another. According to some of us. (Others may vehemently disagree.) After that, you'll find a list of all the award winners in IRA history from 1975 to the present. So without further ado, this year's top winners are...

After many years of consideration, the IRAs have finally added an award for editing. Some argued for excluding it because they felt editing was too difficult to judge without knowing what material an editor had to work with and how involved the director was in the process. But obviously this is true of virtually every category. Finally, still others felt that documentary films are invariably "found" in the editing room so they would dominate this award; why not just add Best Documentary? But still others said if a documentary is the best film of the year, it should win as the best film of the year and not be placed in a ghetto. (In fact, documentaries have won the top award, including Eyes On The Prize in 1986 and arguably Decasia in 2003. This year the winner was for "most editing," with the five person team dealing with the endless footage generated by Malick being recognized for their work.

In a squeaker, Hugo beats out The Tree Of Life for Production Design. It would turn out to be Hugo's only win but put the fear of God in Malick supporters (who were mostly anti-Hugo as well, with one notable exception). Serious politicking began in the two camps. Snagging Production Design may have been the warning sign that brought together its passionate detractors and kept Hugo out of the winner's circle for the rest of the night.

Finally, A Separation makes its first appearance. Humanist dramas are often overlooked in tech categories and the Iranian winner of the Best Foreign Film Oscar is no exception. At least when it comes to the IRAs. Margin Call got a deserved nod for its screenplay, which captured the complexity of the financial meltdown in a fictional tale of disillusionment.

In many other award groups, it was the cast of The Help that dominated the supporting actress awards. At the IRAs, it was the supporting cast of A Separation, clearly one of the best films of the year. Some supported the care-giver, others supported the daughter and still others argued that the wife was the supporting role and that the caregiver should have been up for best actress. One key pleasure of the IRAs is to correct the "mistakes" of the Oscars, which sometimes put people in the wrong categories because of politicking by the studios or due to star power instead of what makes sense. But it ain't east. Just check out the Supporting Actor category.

See what I mean? I'd argue that Hunter McCracken's character in The Tree Of Life is the lead role. He's the heart of the film and it's told from his point of view and perspective. I haven't put a stopwatch to the film, but since Young Jack has countless scenes with his father and more with his mother and then goes off to play with friends, it's inconceivable to me that anyone could think the supporting role of Brad Pitt as his father Mr. O'Brien would be anything but what it is. The Oscars saw it differently because Pitt is a star. But in fact, the Ira votes also felt McCracken's character was not the lead, split as it was between him and Sean Penn. We certainly aren't waiting for Pitt to show up for the awards ceremony so the Ira voters must be sincere. At the least, this award inspired one of the night's funnier lines: "Release the McCracken!"

A Separation continued to dominate the acting awards and inspired thoughts that it might upend the support for The Tree Of Life, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Hugo to snag the night's biggest awards. it helped that several Ira voters went to see the film for the first time (and some for the second or third) the afternoon of the voting, so it was also fresh in everyone's minds. It also helped Hatami that besides being a very talented actress she is luminously beautiful and inspired some to compare her to Ingrid Bergman.

The momentum keeps building for A Separation with its lead actor winning the top prize among the men. With Tree, Separation and Hugo still jockeying for supremacy, Tinker Tailor seemed to fade in the home stretch. If it was going to win any major award, it should have been for Gary Oldman's performance, one of the most subtle and effective in recent memory. Also, it was good to see Michael Shannon get recognition for his terrific work in the vivid indie Take Shelter, a favorite of many Ira voters, even if it didn't break into the top 5. With the very high point totals for the top three actors, it's clear they were all deeply admired by the vast majority of Ira voters.

it wasn't a nail-biter, but Malick's triumph in the Best Director category wasn't a walk. Both Scorsese and Alfredson scored in the 20s, very respectable showings. (Scorsese's long career gave him the edge over Alfredson, who has deeply impressed with Tinker and his debut Let The Right One In; he's definitely made the most of his opportunity.) The Holocaust film hadn't broken through in many categories but put in a strong showing here and in Best Picture.

Thirty three years after winning the IRA award for Best Picture with Days Of Heaven, director Terrence Malick triumphed again with The Tree Of Life, beating off upstarts like the terrific Iranian drama A Separation (which dominated the acting awards), Martin Scorsese's Hugo (a controversial film with as many detractors as supporters at the Iras) and the generally admired Tinker, whose supporters were just as quiet and reserved as the film itself. In Darkness and Cave Of Forgotten Dreams also made showings. Cave was the most popular documentary of the year at the Iras, though Pina and several others had strong support. It's likely that the voting for Cave and In Darkness drained some points from A Separation and kept it from competing for an upset win.

This award is for the film that put us to sleep this year. It's often a chance for some spoilsports to make their displeasure over certain films known (hence the voting for Hugo, which scored highly on most Ira ballots). Some voters hated Woody Allen's latest, while others were bemused by its massive popularity (just as Woody himself says he can never guess which film of his will click with audiences). But everyone agreed Midnight In Paris is not one of Woody's finest.

Half the fun of the Iras is talking about movies you love. The other half? Making fun of the movies you hate and the taste of other Ira voters and mainstream critics. The Help was not exactly polarizing -- most Ira voters disliked it immensely. But a few held the acting in the film in high regard, which is why Viola Davis made it onto the Best Actress ballot. But the critical acclaim combined with Hollywood's invariable gambit of telling the story of black characters by focusing on a white character proved catnip to Ira voters. Buried Prayers and Sarah's Key are two Holocaust-themed films that certain voters found noxious in their politics and storytelling, to say the least. Liberals many of the Ira members may be, but liberal piety won't get you far with them (and certainly not in the movies).

The Mechanical acting awards aren't for stiffness as such. It's more about calling out actors for reverting to a set of tics we've seen many times before. In the case of Streep (a brilliant stage actress), the award seemed to be as much for the film's soft-pedaling of a major figure who is far more controversial and transfixing than this fuzzy around the edges biopic made clear.

Here's a great example of a Mechanical Acting award. Personally, I didn't vote for Owen Wilson because I actually thought he was fine and a pretty good substitute Woody. But many others felt he was coasting on his usual surfer dude schtick. Shia was pegged for Transformers, perhaps an irresistible target given the mechanical nature of the battling Autobots and their enemies.

THE COMPLETE IRA MOVIE AWARD WINNERS

1975IRA Film Award WinnersBest Picture: Barry LyndonBest Director: Claude Chabrol for La Rupture and Just Before NightfallBest Actor: Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s NestBest Actress: Ellen Burstyn in Alice Doesn’t Live Here AnymoreBest Supporting Actor: François Perrier in Just Before NightfallBest Supporting Actress: Blythe Danner in Hearts Of The WestBest Screenplay: Tom Stoppard and Thomas Wiseman for The Romantic EnglishwomanBest Cinematography: John Alcott for Barry Lyndon

1976 IRA Film Award WinnersBest Picture: (tie) Lipstick, and The Marquise Of OBest Director: Eric Rohmer for The Marquise Of OBest Actor: Sean Connery in Robin And MarianBest Actress: Sissy Spacek in CarrieBest Supporting Actor: Jason Robards in All The President’s MenBest Supporting Actress: Anne Bancroft in LipstickBest Screenplay: Alain Tanner and John Berger for Jonah Who Will Be 25 In The Year 2000Best Cinematography: Nestor Almendros for The Marquise Of O

1984IRA Film Award WinnersBest Picture: (tie) L’Argent and Once Upon A Time In AmericaBest Director: Sergio Leone for Once Upon A Time In AmericaBest Actor: Clint Eastwood in TightropeBest Actress: Helen Mirren in CalBest Supporting Actor: Jean-Luc Godard in First Name: CarmenBest Supporting Actress: Christine Lahti in Swing ShiftBest Screenplay: Franco Arcalli, Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Franco Ferrini, Sergio Leone, Enrico Medioli for Once Upon A Time In AmericaBest Cinematography: Robby Müller for Paris Texas and Repo ManBest Music: Ennio Morricone for Once Upon A Time In AmericaBest Production Design: James Singelis for Once Upon A Time In AmericaBest Costume Design: Mic Cheminal for Entre Nous

1993IRA Film Award WinnersBest Picture: Six Degrees Of SeparationBest Director: Nancy Savoca for Household SaintsBest Actor: Dennis Quaid in Flesh And BoneBest Actress: Stockard Channing in Six Degrees Of SeparationBest Supporting Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in A Boy’s Life and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?Best Supporting Actress: Regina Tourney in Like Water For ChocolateBest Screenplay: Mike Leigh for NakedBest Cinematography: Michael Balhaus for The Age Of InnocenceBest Music: Elmer Bernstein for The Age Of Innocence and The Cemetery ClubBest Production Design: Dante Ferretti for The Age Of InnocenceBest Costume Design: Gabriella Pescucci for The Age Of InnocenceSominex Award: Heaven And EarthDramamine Award: Falling DownMechanical Actor: Richard Gere in SommersbyMechanical Actress: Madonna in Body Of Evidence

1999IRA Film Award WinnersBest Picture: Fight ClubBest Director: (tie) David Fincher for Fight Club and Spike Jonze for Being John MalkovichBest Actor: Terence Stamp in The LimeyBest Actress: (tie) Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut and Hillary Swank in Boys Don’t CryBest Supporting Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman in Magnolia and The Talented Mr. RipleyBest Supporting Actress: Catherine Keener in Being John MalkovichBest Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for ElectionBest Cinematography: Robert Richardson for Bringing Out The Dead and Snow Falling On CedarsBest Music: Trey Parker and Marc Shaiman for South Park: Bigger, Longer & UncutBest Production Design: Owen Paterson for The MatrixBest Costume Design: Michael Kaplan for Fight ClubSominex Award: The World Is Not EnoughDramamine Award: The Green MileMechanical Actor: Kevin Spacey in American BeautyMechanical Actress: Annette Bening in American Beauty

2000IRA Film Award WinnersBest Picture: L’ HumaniteBest Director: (tie) Terence Davies for The House Of Mirth and Jim Jarmusch for Ghost Dog: Way Of The SamuraiBest Actor: Forrest Whitaker in Ghost Dog: Way Of The SamuraiBest Actress: (tie) Severine Caneele in L’ Humanite and Michelle Yeoh in Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonBest Supporting Actor: Jack Black in High Fidelity and Jesus’s SonBest Supporting Actress: Lupe Ontiveros in Chuck And BuckBest Screenplay: Kenneth Lonnergan for You Can Count On MeBest Cinematography: Remi Adefarasin for The House Of MirthBest Music: RZA for Ghost Dog: Way Of The SamuraiBest Production Design: Gideon Ponte for American Psycho and HamletBest Costume Design: Monica Howe for The House Of MirthSominex Award: Mission Impossible 2Dramamine Award: The Replacements (aka The Scabs)Mechanical Actor: Ian Holm in Joe Gould’s SecretMechanical Actress: Charlize Theron in Reindeer Games

2003IRA Film Award WinnersBest Picture: DecasiaBest Director: Bill Morrison for DecasiaBest Actor: Johnny Depp in Pirates Of The CaribbeanBest Actress: Hope Davis in American Splendor and The Secret Lives Of DentistsBest Supporting Actor: Max Pirkis in Master and Commander: The Far Side Of The WorldBest Supporting Actress: Ludivine Sagnier in Swimming PoolBest Screenplay: Shari Springer Bergman and Robert Pulcini for American SplendorBest Cinematography: Peter Suschitzky for SpiderBest Music: Michael Gordon for DecasiaBest Production Design: Andrew Laws for Down With LoveBest Costume Design: Daniel Orlandi for Down With LoveSominex Award:Dramamine Award: In My SkinMechanical Actor: Anthony Hopkins in The Human StainMechanical Actress: Nicole Kidman in The Human Stain

2004IRA Film Award WinnersBest Picture: KinseyBest Director: Bill Condon for KinseyBest Actor: Ethan Hawke in Before SunsetBest Actress: Laura Linney in Kinsey and P.S.Best Supporting Actor: Peter Sarsgaard in KinseyBest Supporting Actress: Kirsten Dunst in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless MindBest Screenplay: Bill Condon for KinseyBest Cinematography: Christopher Doyle for Hero, Last Life In The Universe and Days Of Being WildBest Music: Alberto Iglesias for Bad EducationBest Production Design: Dante Ferretti for The AviatorBest Costume Design: Emi Wada for Hero and House Of The Flying DaggersSominex Award: The VillageDramamine Award: The Passion Of The ChristMechanical Actor: Cate Blanchett in The AviatorMechanical Actress: Anthony Hopkins in Alexander

2007IRA Film Award WinnersBest Picture: The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert FordBest Director: Andrew Dominik for The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert FordBest Actor: Casey Affleck in The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford and Gone Baby GoneBest Actress: Marina Hands in Lady ChatterleyBest Supporting Actor: Paul Schneider in The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford and Lars And The Real GirlBest Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan in Gone Baby GoneBest Screenplay: Corneliu Porumboiu for 12:08 East Of BucharestBest Cinematography: Roger Deakins for The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, In The Valley Of Elah and No Country For Old MenBest Production Design: Patricia Norris for The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert FordBest Music: Nick Cave and Warren Ellis for The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert FordBest Costume Design: Patricia Norris for The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert FordSominex Award: Youth Without YouthDramamine Award: Before The Devil Knows You’re DeadMechanical Actor: John Travolta in HairsprayMechanical Actress: Meryl Streep in Lions For Lambs and Rendition

The Best Movies Of The 2000s(Voted in 2010)1. The Son/Le Fils2. Zodiac3. Yi Yi4. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford5. The Edge Of Heaven (tie)In The Mood For Love (tie)7. The Heart Of The World (short by Guy Maddin)8. Mysterious Skin (tie)Bus 174 (tie)10. The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu (tie)Head-On (tie) Spirited Away (tie)

Friday, March 16, 2012

MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL ($19.99 BluRay; Sony) -- This is Monty Python at its absolute peak. Their show just ended its 5 year run on the BBC and now their first movie with all original material was opening in theaters. Quite simply, it's one of the funniest comedies of all time and signal moment in the career of one of the most influential groups of comics in history, ranking alongside fellow Brits the Beyond The Fringe fellows, Canada's SCTV and Saturday Night Live. It looks surprisingly good on BluRay for such a low-budget, throw anything against the wall and see if it sticks movie. New extras (like some bonus footage and bloopers as well as animated bits, sit alongside extras from earlier editions. It's a complete pain in the neck to access the app with a making-of story and tons of bonus material (you have to pay for it and then get a rebate), but this physical copy is loaded as is. The movie? Brilliantly silly, stupidly clever as always. I jumped randomly to one scene to check picture quality. King Arthur is asking peasants who lives in the castle nearby and the levels of humor are breathtaking. He calls an old man "old woman." The peasant reacts angrily and then later says, "I'm 37," also taking offense at being called old. Arthur tries to steer the conversation where he wants, but they're puzzled by his claim of being King of the Brits. Who named him king? He launches into a speech about the Lady of the Lake who handed him Excalibur and the peasant rudely interrupts with a discussion of feudal systems and his preference for a vaguely socialistic set-up. Arthur tries again, and finally in anger demands the peasant stop talking, who then explodes in mock anger, exclaiming "I'm being oppressed!" All throughout this, the peasants are mindlessly kneeling on the ground, slapping mud into little piles. If the peasant were so clever, it wouldn't be funny. But in amongst all the other levels of humor, the peasant is really rather annoying, much like a college student who is spouting off with his newly discovered knowledge about power structures as if he's the first in the world to discover it. Python, Monty both celebrate erudition but also mock their cerebral ways. Of course, much of the film involves farts and flying cows and maidens who like to be spanked and knights who say "Neee!" How I love it.

VANYA ON 42ND STREET ($39.95 BluRay; Criterion) -- I think Anton Chekhov is a much better source for great movies than great plays. I know, he's one of the most acclaimed playwrights of all time. (And his short stories are where his greatest achievement lies.) Nonetheless, his plays are notoriously difficult. I've seen great productions but far more often -- even with the most talented cast in the world -- I've seen Chekhov plays that remained emotionally inert. I think that's because his material works best in close-up. His rich language is best delivered very, very quietly. Perhaps that's why this adaptation of Uncle Vanya works so beautifully. It's certainly a late career peak for director Louis Malle and a signal work for the entire cast. They share their stories in a new substantial documentary. Malle is missed, but like Chekhov his work will live on. Chekhov's The Duel was another terrific film from 2010. He's one of our greatest writers and film I think is the ideal medium for his dramatic work. Criterion's usual care presents the film beautifully.

OUT OF AFRICA COLLECTOR'S SERIES BLURAY ($39.95; Universal)THE DEER HUNTER COLLECTOR'S SERIES BLURAY ($19.95; Universal) -- These two films have swapped places in my estimation since i first saw them. Enthralled wth Meryl Streep (quite rightly), I ignored the picture postcard thinness of Sydney Pollack's romance when it first came out and put it on my best of the year list. Streep is very good but having since read many of writer Isak Dinesen's stories, I feel the film is even wider of the mark compared to what it might have been. (Though any true depiction of Dinesen and her work would be complicated by her maternalistic attitude toward Africa). I was a little cool to The Deer Hunter at first, but its power in key scenes has only grown with the years. Both it and Apocalypse Now are problematic for me, but both have a strange mystery that keeps me watching. Director Michael Cimino never had the major career one might have expected, but watching this reminds you of why people expected it. Both films look very good, thanks to Universal's celebration of its 100th anniversary by presenting some of its key films as lovingly as possible.

AMERICAN PIE 1/2/WEDDING ($19.98 each on BluRay; Universal) -- Far less prestigious but probably far more profitable than Out Of Africa is the American Pie series, the raunchy comedy that made home-made pie lovers wary forever.The series gets a new edition with the inevitable American Reunion and that's an excuse to put out all three in the series onto BluRay with the big new extra a three-hour (!) making of documentary about the series on the original film's release. Thin stuff, though Seann William Scott is amusingly perfect for this sort of stuff.

ANATOMY OF A MURDER ($39.95 BluRay; Criterion) -- Director Otto Preminger often made self-consciously "important" films, like Advise and Consent (Washington corruption) and The Man With The Golden Arm (drug addiction). This may be a process film -- showing how murder trials really work -- but it's pure fun as well and his greatest movie. Jimmy Stewart as the righteous defense attorney is pitch perfect but it's a great cast up and down the line. This loaded release contains strong extras from new interviews with a Preminger biographer and Gary Giddins on the landmark score by Duke Ellington to a fun 10 minute segment showing Preminger debate William F. Buckley Jr. on film censorship. One of the greats in a worthy presentation.

SPIDERS ($29.95; Kino)SCARLET STREET ($29.95 BluRay; Kino) -- Director Fritz Lang had a hell of a career from his early silents to German peaks (M and Metropolis) to a heady Hollywood period. Two new releases from Kino capture that breadth. Spiders is a two-part movie that plays like one of those old serials, following an Indiana Jones-style adventure (oddly named Kay Hoog) who is often on a search for treasure while combatting gang of criminals known as the Spiders. It's a bit creaky but fun. Better is his late period noir Scarlet Street (1945) with Edward G. Robinson as a timid little man thoroughly transformed by an obsession with street-walker Joan Bennett. Both look strong, given their provenance.

NIJINSKY ($24.95; Olive/Paramount) -- Director Herbert Ross followed his smash hit The Turning Point with another dance melodrama. Nijinsky contains some strong dance scenes but was far less successful, due perhaps to the gay love story at its heart. In the early 1900s, Nijinsky is at his peak, but torn between a ballerina and the imperious Diaghilev (Alan Bates) and the pressure drove him bonkers. Literally. Also notable is Jeremy Irons in his film debut right before The French Lieutenant's Woman and Brideshead Revisited made him a star.

MY MAN GODFREY ($14.98; Universal)SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS ($14.98; Universal) -- Universal's 100th anniversary has meant a fine excuse to provide fine new prints of some of the key films in its library. My Man Godfrey is a classic example of the screwball comedy. William Powell is perfect as a down on his luck bum who becomes the perfect butler -- and more -- to a madcap heiress (Carole Lombard). It's Hollywood at its very best. Many hold Sullivan's Travels in equally high esteem. It's the most personal movie from the great Preston Sturges. Here Joel McCrea is a director tires of making silly comedies and yearns to go out and find the "real" America and tell a real story. Rather insultingly, to my mind, he finally accepts that the lowly common man wants frothy comedies to take their minds off mundane reality. It's heavy-handed Hollywood satire. I'll take the real deal of My Man Godfrey over a movie about a man who spends most of his movie thinking Godfrey is a waste of time.

THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI ($29.95 BluRay; Criterion) -- My interest is always raised when Criterion adds a film I'm not familiar with to its lineup. Three Outlaw Samurai, I'm happy to report, is a corker. It's the spin-off from a wildly successful Japanese TV series and is a key film in the "chanbara" genre. I'm not quite clear how chanbara differs from other samurai films, but it's great fun. Released in 1964, it's the origin story of how the three traveling do-gooders first got together. One is an unemployed ronin who stumbles upon some peasants that have kidnapped the local leader's daughter to try and force him to pay attention to their desperate straits. He's amused by their haplessness and stands by while they flounder until he accepts the dignity of their cause. The other two are in the employ of the evil leader but are soon won over by the code of honor they've almost entirely abandoned. It's pure narrative fun, beautifully shot and with some excellent fight scenes and above all terrifically vivid characters. Any fan of spaghetti westerns and classic samurai movies should jump.

THAT SHOW WITH JOAN RIVERS ($24.98; Synergy)LAWRENCE WELK CLASSIC EPISODES 1-4 ($39.99; Synergy) -- Neither one of these releases will win any points for picture quality. They're just old episodes tossed onto DVD. The Joan Rivers show is a genuine time capsule. Rovers hosted a local show in NYC that followed a familiar pattern. Rivers performed a monologue, brought in an expert to discuss a topic (like Nudism, Natural Childbirth, the Jet Set and the like) and then brought in a personality to expand the discussion. It's great to see Rivers coming into her own here on these 18 shows. The Welk set has 12 hour-long episodes of his easy listening show from the early 1960s when it was broadcast in black and white. It's of rather so-so picture quality but those hankering for a shot of nostalgia will care more about memories stirred up than sharpness on the DVD. Others should stay away.

CHARADE ($14.98; UNIVERSAL)TO CATCH A THIEF ($22.99 BluRay; Paramount) -- We all know Cary Grant is a great actor. Even with the best actors, it's not always clear who will have chemistry with whom. Sometimes great stars simply bump up against each other on screen rather than complementing one another. So that brings us to another remarkable element of Grant's movie success. He had off-the-charts chemistry with more co-stars than almost anyone else in history, from Katharine Hepburn to Doris Day. Here are two classic examples: Grant is charming with Audrey Hepburn in the lighter-than-air caper film Charade and sizzling with Grace Kelly in one of Alfred Hitchcock's lesser entertainments To Catch A Thief. Quite simply, like the best athletes on a team, Grant made everyone around him better. The BluRay transfer of Thief, by the way, is exceptionally good.

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Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog. Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and also available for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.

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